Hickey on Hockey: It's time for NHL to come clean about concussions

Concussions have been a problem in the National Hockey League and, with a growing number of former players joining a class-action suit against the league for its alleged disregard of the dangers of concussions, there's a reluctance to talk about the injury.

There was an interesting exchange during Edmonton coach Todd McLellan’s news conference prior to Thursday’s game between the Oilers and the Canadiens.

Jim Matheson, the veteran hockey writer for the Edmonton Journal, inquired about the health of Lauri Korpikoski. The Finn had been blindsided by Minnesota’s Matt Dumba two nights earlier and was listed as questionable for the Montreal game.

McLellan offered little insight into the injury other than to say that Korpikoski is “not feeling well.” He said Korpikoski felt OK after the game, but it was one of the cases where he didn’t feel so hot the next morning. The official word from the team was that he was day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

There was no mention of the C-word.

Concussions have been a problem in the National Hockey League and, with a growing number of former players joining a class-action suit against the league for its alleged disregard of the dangers of concussions, there’s a reluctance to talk about the injury.

In Korpikoski’s case, the Oilers can fall back on the “upper-body” tag because Korpikoski went through the league-mandated protocol regarding concussions. He was hit in the first period and because he suffered a blow to the head, he was sent to the “quiet room” to be examined. He was cleared in time to rejoin the Oilers for the third period of the game.

(Matheson asked former NHLer and Minnesota Wild broadcaster Tom Reid where the quiet room was located in the Xcel Energy Center and Reid said it was located up the street at his sports bar where “there are plenty of empty rooms during the game.”)

The reality is that concussion symptoms aren’t always evident, they vary in severity and they can come and go. Korpikoski didn’t show any symptoms in the moments after the hit, but the evidence suggests that they showed up the next day.

NHL teams tend to downplay the incidence of concussions. The lawsuit might have something to do with it. Teams don’t want to be saddled with the responsibility of going through the protocol. And there are players who feel their careers may be adversely affected if teams feel they are prone to concussions.

There are only seven players identified as suffering from concussions or concussion-like symptoms on the NHL injured reserve list.

Two of them — Marc Savard and Chris Pronger — are so damaged they will never play again. But they are still on NHL rosters because there are teams that need their salary-cap space to reach the NHL floor. Savard is on the Florida Panthers roster, while Pronger is an Arizona Coyote in name only while he double-dips as an employee of the NHL’s player safety department.

The Canadiens have been injury-free this season, but they do have one player on the injured-reserve list. Forward Michaël Bournival suffered a concussion last year and was still having symptoms when training camp opened in September. The Canadiens report that he is suffering from an undisclosed injury.

It’s designations like that which cast a doubt over the extent of the concussion problem in the NHL. Bournival is one of 14 players on the IR with an undisclosed injury, while nine other players are listed as having upper-body injuries.

Not all of these players are suffering from concussions but you don’t have to look far to find cases that cast doubt about the NHL’s reporting of injuries. Simon Després was hit in the head by Tyson Barrie on Oct. 17 and the blow was considered serious enough to warrant a three-game suspension. Després remains on the IR with an upper-body injury.

Hickey On Hockey Notebook

Cancer fight: November is Hockey Fights Cancer month and the Canadiens will recognize the fight with three events during their coming homestand. On Sunday, the team will renew its partnership with Leucan, an organization that has provided support for child cancer patients and their families. Young patients and their families will be hosted at the game by the players’ wives and will meet the players after the game. On Thursday, the team recognizes the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada with a silent auction and Saturday’s game will feature an information booth for Procure, which is committed to raising awareness about prostate cancer. A number of players will also participate in the annual Movember campaign, growing mustaches to raise awareness of men’s health issues, including testicular and prostate cancer and mental health.

West is kryptonite for Price: Carey Price is the best goaltender in the world but, as the Edmonton Oilers proved Thursday night, there are some teams that give Price and/or the Canadiens a lot of trouble. When the Oilers rallied for three goals in the third period to beat the Canadiens, Price’s record against the Oilers dropped to 1-6-1 and he’s winless in four starts at Rexall Place. Price has a losing record against five other NHL teams and four of them are in the Western Conference. Price is 3-5 against Calgary; 1-4-1 against Anaheim; 2-3-1 against Nashville, 2-4-1 against San Jose.

Benn honours minor-hockey coach: Dallas sniper Jamie Benn is off to a quick start as he pursues his second consecutive NHL scoring title. He scored his league-high ninth goal in overtime Thursday to lead Dallas over Vancouver, and the usually reserved Benn stepped out of character by thrusting his arm heavenward several times in celebration. As Ken Campbell of the Hockey News reported, Benn was honouring Larry Orr, a longtime mainstay of minor hockey in Benn’s hometown of North Saanich on Vancouver Island. Orr died of cancer last month and a memorial service was held for him earlier Thursday.

Kessel returns in T.O.: There’s a debate going on in Toronto over what kind of reception Phil Kessel will receive when he returns to the Air Canada Centre Saturday night with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Given the passive nature of the fan base at the ACC, the smart money says most of the fans won’t know he’s on the ice and the others won’t care.

Isles fans staying away from Brooklyn: Speaking of fans who have tuned out, the New York Islanders’ move from the Nassau Coliseum to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected. There are continuing complaints that some of the seats in the arena are great for basketball, but not so much for hockey. Business Insider has called the seats the worst in U.S. professional sports. The Islanders are also forced to attract some new fans because the old fan base in Nassau and Suffolk Counties is lukewarm about going back into the city. Only 11,484 fans were on hand Thursday to see Carolina edge the Islanders on an overtime goal by ex-Hab Ron Hainsey. Through seven games, the Islanders are averaging 12,183 fans a game. That’s the lowest attendance in the NHL.

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